Ouch! Double ouch!

[Mike Buckley]

Though the spines of the Saguaro cactus protect it from predators, they also provide the very important function of storing much needed moisture. For the most visual impact, view the photo at the largest possible size in the Lytebox.

[Bobobird]

Very nice and sharp shot. Nicely processed with that black b/g.

That droopy one at top left was the one that gave you the ouch ??

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Bobo, but this time I was smart enough that none of them gave me the ouch. Thanks for the nod about the background, though I hope it displays on your monitor as dark green on the sides and a just a tad lighter in the middle, not black.

[Dave Humphries]

though I hope it displays on your monitor as dark green on the sides and a just a tad lighter in the middle, not black.

It does

People are bound to ask;
EXIF says Nikon D7000 at 180mm (Sigma Macro perhaps?)

at 1/500s (so available light, not flash),
f/14 (plus focus stacking?),
iso 6400 (definitely available light!)

Very good shot, nicely noise free and sharp as an 'ouch'.

Cheers,

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, Dave.

The 180mm lens is about 25 years old, a prime f/2.8 made by Nikon. There was no focus stacking. I also had a polarizer on the lens, though in this particular case I would have been wiser to remove it; I could have made the same shot probably at about ISO 1600 instead of 6400.